I love my weekly Paris Match: it helps me keep up-to-date with France, has some good in-depth articles on international news and excellent photo-journalism. The current issue (see cover image) has, along with an article on why Anglo-Saxon women are falling for ‘le French Lover’ (looking at you Madonna, Scarlett, Nathalie and Halle Berry…) a thoughtful piece on Marseille.
What, they ask, is going on in Marseille?
It’s a stunning city and Aixcentric has been bringing news of all the glossy developments down on the coast. But all of us who live locally know that there is another side to the story. Whole areas of north Marseille are blighted by unemployment, poverty and criminality. It’s an infernal spiral: how on earth can you bring up a child when the social surrounding is so very toxic? The state’s answer is to draft in more police, and the article includes comments from the new head of police who is trying to sort out not only the criminality in the general population but also within some parts of the police-force itself. Interestingly, last week’s Paris Match had an indepth piece on how the authorities in Rio are trying to improve the city’s favelas ahead of the World Cup, with multi-layered initiatives focusing on living conditions, employment and communications, as well as policing.
This week’s Marseille article has comments from various people. There’s a local film director who thinks that Paris enjoys its demonisation of the city, shuddering from a distance…and that Marseille actually enjoys playing up to this image, revelling in its bad boy persona. But one interviewee, who had been very disenchanted, felt that things changed on the weekend of the opening of MP2013 with so much friendliness on the streets. An interesting 10-page read. This post is a little late so hurry if you want to get a copy as the new issue comes out Thursday. 2,50€.
While you’re at the kiosk….
The new ‘A Table’ has been out for a little while. Lots of good stuff on cooking and choosing wine, but this edition has a supplement ‘Tables 2013’ with editor Pierre Psaltis’s listing of where to eat in the Bouches du Rhone, town by town. 2.80€.
Thanks for mentioning A Table – now I’ve got a whole new lot of places to try!!
Aren’t we lucky!